Renault F1 prepares for the young drivers’ tests in Jerez

The Renault F1 Team is preparing for the “rookie” tests, which will take place from December 1st to 3rd in Jerez, Spain. Bertrand Baguette, Ho-Pin Tung, and Lucas Di Grassi will be the three drivers evaluated during these three days of testing.

Bertrand Baguette will benefit from a test with the team as a reward for winning the 2009 championship in the World Series by Renault 3.5. The team’s provisional schedule for these tests plans for him to take the wheel of the R29 on December 1st.

The young Belgian driver will slip into the cockpit of a Formula 1 car for the first time. He will take advantage of this opportunity just as the 2010 Renault F1 Team driver, Robert Kubica, who won the World Series by Renault in 2005, did before. Bertrand’s goal will be to accumulate as many kilometers as possible during this testing day.

The team will also evaluate the young Chinese driver Ho-Pin Tung. At 26 years old, he has already conducted tests with Williams F1 in the past; he is therefore delighted to have the opportunity to test with the Renault F1 Team. This will allow him to put to use his driving experience accumulated in the GP2 Series, A1GP, and in the Superleague Formula.

The team’s third driver, Lucas Di Grassi, will also take the wheel of the R29. He will drive the team’s 2009 car for the first time during these tests in Jerez.

Bob Bell, Team Principal, comments: « Today, testing is regulated but this three-day test is the ideal opportunity for us to evaluate young drivers such as Bertrand, Ho-Pin, and Lucas. They have already shown their talent and we look forward to seeing what they are capable of behind the wheel of the R29. These three days will complete our testing program for the year 2009. »

According to a statement from the Renault F1 Team